The Cardinal (14-4, 5-2 Pac-12), which has suffered all four of its losses against top-10 teams, now enters next week’s Pac-12 Championships as the No. 3 seed ahead of the Golden Bears (14-6, 4-3 Pac-12).

Saturday’s victory should provide Stanford, which has climbed 15 spots in the national rankings over the last two weeks, another boost when the next poll is released on Tuesday. The Cardinal has now defeated four top-40 opponents, including a 4-0 shutout of No. 22 Boise State earlier this month.

That Stanford is even in position to lock up an NCAA Tournament berth is an accomplishment, considering the Cardinal showcases a lineup with only one senior and has battled injuries to key players all season.

Stanford faced an early obstacle after losing the doubles point but that hasn’t seemed to matter. The Cardinal has now won six matches this season in which it has fallen behind 1-0 after doubles. California locked up victories at the Nos. 1 and 3 spots.

Nolan Paige, who has looked progressively better in his return to the court, tied the match at 1-1 following a 7-5, 7-5 victory over Andre Goransson at the No. 4 position.